Human Impact On The Ocean

The Human Impact Four point eight million metric tons, which equals 10.5 billion pounds. That is the approximate amount of plastic currently in the ocean. A ludicrous amount of plastic and other human-made materials can be found floating through the ocean, disturbing sea life and making a drastic impact on the planet. After years of human interaction with the ocean, the negative effect on both the ocean and people themselves is starting to show and hopefully an opportunity to reverse the damage remains.
Human beings, along with all other living creatures, interact with their environment. Over the course of a great amount of years, people have also interacted with the oceans, as it would be almost impossible not to given that the massive body …show more content…
Dead zones are large patches of ocean that lack oxygen and can therefore not support life. Chemical runoff from human activity, yet another form of marine pollution, causes these dead zones (National). A recent study measured a large dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico and the size of this territory is astounding, “Scientists have found this year’s Gulf of Mexico dead zone — an area of low to no oxygen that can kill fish and marine life — is, at 6,474 square miles, above average in size and larger than forecast by NOAA in June” (National). This deadzone in the Gulf of Mexico is approximately the same size as the state of Indiana. Marine pollution not only affects the habitats of sea life, but humans also feel the impact of their careless actions. Due to marine pollution, many problems have arisenarose affecting human health. One pollutant causing human health damage is a common airborne pollutant called mercury. The burning of coal releases mercury, a toxin that can cause brain and nervous system damage. While mercury begins in the air, it eventually settles into the ocean. As mercury drifts through the ocean, it enters the system of sea life. Many of these contaminated fish are then caught and consumed by people. Some sea creatures have such high concentrations of this chemical that simply eating the fish causes health complications (Thank). The issue of mercury in seafood has become a major problem in …show more content…
However in order to do this, people must work together to quickly reverse many of their lazy, careless habits in polluting the ocean. While some efforts have been made, people must continue to work towards a more efficient, clean world. One single person can make a difference, “A key step to helping fix the problem of ocean pollution is taking action. This includes recycling, reducing plastic usage, properly disposing of all waste, and getting involved in helping to clean up beaches and rivers” (Save). While some may think the actions of one person may not make a difference, carelessness by individual people caused this extensive pollution, and simple acts by individual people are the only way to reverse the damage.The public simply does not do enough in how to prevent marine contaminants from entering the ocean. While many can speak about what marine pollution is, not everyone does anything to solve the problem. As Sarah Kaplan puts it, “But the plastic situation — fairly low-tech and more than a century old at this point — is a reminder that we still haven’t quite gotten the better of some of the problems left over from the first few ‘industrial revolutions’”(Kaplan). While many people are aware of the issue, very few take significant action to stop polluting the ocean. The public may speak of this problem yet they continue to practice wasteful habits and even go to the extent